| Show the highbinder by VICTOR REDCLIFFE 1 1019 1929 by western we all liked ly hong chang anil lather father was particularly attached it ti him he was so FO recently front from h his s native land that his speech atis wil S ob 01 and imperfect but he be was quick eager to learn and every ev 0 ry w ed E in our service saw him with a clearer understanding and more arid d more mord 1 a ftc cub tomed to our ways we always kept several servants but when ly as we familiarly famil arly callea him hibi was given a position under our few and duly domesticated la in a room in the garage the cook and houg emall affected great dread of tte the heathen who night might at any time decide to murder marder us all in our beds I 1 the inird smiling Ba ways bf the new comer soon sonn dispelled any such fanciful ings however he was as to his work pleasant accommodating anti ami neat as a pin at all times we had reason to cherish and value ly but for his vigilance force and self macli ties father might have never seen home and family again in a hotel fire ho be had been penned in by flames on the ill highest hest floor of the blazing build ing had fallen choked and insensible in a tortuously winding corridor and ly who was an extra watch mai mat of the caravansary at the time hin I 1 lifted him on his stout shoulders am and had brought him to safety tit nt the co of numerous bums on face and annd wo we all stared when a few days later father returned home accompanied b bi the uncouth ly we were aroused to YO ried emotions when wo we learned of th tah great deed which had saved to us v i kind and indulgent parent ly never referred to his home and f friends ra ends inlets in his native land if lie hut any lie ile would solemnly detail lii ili hard experiences in seeking worl lif at ter he had landed in this country I 1 seemed quite strange that luno lu no cwi did these recitals show that lie he hot hi sought aid or chip aror those ot of his own race lie he never v eit away from the place after coming x id us and he had fixed up trie gara room assigned to him in unique ani elaborate fashion bit by bit ly at a cumulated odd shaped shells crocked crockery F some miniature chinese gods bell cymbals and draperies and evi ev i morning he burned joss sticks bafo a smell curtained shrine so far as ly was concerned seemed to move on smoothly ond and in i few weeks ho he had become a feltl feature of the domestic economy 1 1 was quite curious for ft spell of i naion ft a week when lys service 6 t be la in considerable demand by my ia an ther they were together shut in tle it 11 arary as it if in secret J during the same period I 1 knew tha itha my father was wag greatly troubled abou its his business my ily mother called me it her one day with a grave acx arklow iou face cella celia she said 1 I have something thin I 1 serious to tell you I 1 it is about father farher I 1 inquired will ivill intuitive dread I 1 yes res dear ills his business iq i in a position where the tha lack of ready cup cap ital may load lead to disaster it if it so cu your marriage with gerald must be postponed until we have re grieved our ourselves selNes financially A month later my father began to tc brighten up into his old self it wi not inot until ion on after this that I 1 knew why by it was then that a mystery surrounding ur ly came to light ile he alft and tied fled from his native land with bevi that had lipen been in ills his family for can cn tilles furies A member of another bratteli bros brat Kli ieli of tile the family fainie y had sought to rob oro him ly was satisfied twit hint this m ronn an co clo chin 11 would follow him to the enal cals of 0 the world to despoil him tar lao chin cibin v was cs a member of 4 the high binders ablio had hran branches clies tit in every country countr yr ly had bad learned that tao tan chin had had colli COCK to america hence clience his bermit lilze methods what ly had done was vas to loan my fattier father his fits jewels to hypothecate tit until he could con realize from his buinis busini s three month later my rather father re redeemed rind and restored them practically sav cd from bankruptcy by the humble but anit loyal ly one lay day a ragged skeleton ot or a chinini ti tainted fainted awny away froni from hunger burger tind iud weakness just outside our place he helas was carried into the garage sin ago but none ne too vr welcome elcome by ills his fellow countryman ly fed him and nursed him for a day caybut huf but with the sullen sur allness of suspicion tho the next evening he gave lilot him some of his own apparel and sent him on his way it was perhaps an bour later when our cha imparted to fattier father that a terrible tragedy had ocen tied halt half a mile down the lane that ran our place two had hiril found gasping liell last breath the flioy had bad literally hacked each other death leter we knew nho these vict victim iraq were ono one was tao chin chia the otylior was as the outcast ly had befriended the tomer to orand mer hall hail doubtless ly I 1 tad iad mistaken for him tle other Clit Chlam aMuan nan in his aisi collim and bin E each hd drawn a knife the result resul cr crad cd ly front from the arado dr ado bif uce li 1 at ny as a 11 blazing aIl ug bewel on my brida brail 1 l vei vo front fran the otil lection 0 gnoj owned by ly 0 io o big hl s honea boneri ii for the ilia brumly ta iril who lind given give him a horle hone |
